Agnes Irwin is trying out a new schedule this year, and in this student’s opinion, it is not going well. Every year it seems that the schedule changes. Some of these changes work well, but many do not.  The three-minute passing period makes it nearly impossible to make it to classes on time, even if they are relatively close together. The shortening of the passing period also means that students can no longer stay after class to ask the teacher a quick question or simply take a moment to talk with friends. This short passing time also means that running to the lockers in between classes is almost impossible, meaning that students now have to carry the materials for more classes. The supposed reason for this change was to allow more time for lunch. However, last year’s lunch felt long enough. This year, lunch seems almost too long. Near the end, everyone has finished eating and is just sort of milling around waiting for the next class to start. Another change to the schedule is that the long period is right before lunch, instead of being the first class. 

Having a long period before lunch means that everyone is likely to be hungry which makes sitting and focusing for a full hour more challenging. While having the long period first worked perfectly well last year, having the long period second actually makes the most sense. Assembly often goes over, so having the longer class right after it still means that we will get at least 50 minutes of that class. It is also directly after snack, so no one is hungry and distracted. Further, it is far enough into the day that everyone has settled in and is not still half-asleep. 

One of the most frustrating changes might be that the Upper and Middle School schedules no longer line up. This means that the Middle School bell will often ring in the middle of an Upper School class, which is disruptive and confusing. Last year, both Middle and Upper School had the same start and end times of classes. While it did sometimes mean that the halls would be more crowded, it also meant that the bells were lined up. This coordination of schedules was a much better experience since most of the Upper and Middle school classes are in separate parts of the building, so the extra hallway congestion was not that big of a deal. 

The school should definitely go back to last year’s schedule. It made sense, was efficient, and most people liked it. While it wasn’t perfect, it was better than this year’s.